1. Field of Invention
The present invention pertains to a unique, wand-type holder or tool for securely supporting an infant""s pacifier in use, while at the same time providing an easy to grasp extension wand as part of the holder for enabling the infant to reinforce his/her grasping skills. My pacifier holder further provides a consistent perioral stimulation, and enhances the infant""s ability to control and keep the pacifier in his/her mouth for independent sucking. More particularly, my unique invention holds or fixes the pacifier near one end of the wand, and enables the infant to grasp, manipulate, and cuddle the wand along its extended length. Thus, my invention permits the infant to safely hold and manipulate the pacifier within his/her mouth by grasping and manipulating the extension wand. Moreover, by grasping and manipulating the extension wand, the infant is able to reinsert the pacifier nipple should it fall from or be removed from his/her mouth. Therefore, my invention facilitates the infant""s non-nutritive sucking skills, while at the same time exercising and enhancing the infant""s grasping and motor skills. Accordingly, my invention also satisfies the infant""s need for physiological stability.
As compared with the prior art, my invention performs all of these functions with a safe, hygienic, low cost, and simple construction.
My invention is also unique because it enhances the nonnutritive sucking of infants, especially medically compromised infants who may experience oral-motor difficulties. Because conventional pacifiers easily fall from such an infant""s mouth, and are difficult or impossible to retrieve by the infant, their use by medically compromised infants is often difficult. Thus, conventional pacifiers increase the medically compromised infant""s frustration, rather than satisfying his/her physiological needs which is supposed to be the function of a pacifier.
My invention is further novel because it also benefits healthy infants and young children, even after the need for a pacifier is no longer required. This is so because it has the shape of an adorable and engaging animal toy, along with its ability to securely hold the pacifier. Moreover, after the infant has matured to the point where the need for a pacifier has passed, certain embodiments of my invention include a unique overlapping tab-flap holder for the pacifier which can also be used as the loosely flapping arms or flippers for the animal toy.
The unique overlapping tab-flap pacifier holder also functions to hold a variety of different sizes and shapes of pacifiers. The present apparatus includes several further embodiments as compared with my parent apparatus, whereby the number of types and variety of pacifiers that can be accommodated is substantially enhanced. Moreover, some embodiments of my invention facilitate the easy interchanging of pacifiers, of the same or different type, so that a fresh and hygienically clean pacifier can always be made available to the infant, and different types of pacifiers can be used dependent on the infant""s needs. This is especially important in a hospital environment where infection control and safety are of utmost importance, and where different infant""s needs can vary widely.
When using the overlapping tab-flap construction of some of the embodiments of my invention, it securely holds the pacifier near one end of the extended wand so that neither the pacifier nor the tab-flap construction itself can be easily worked loose by the infant in use. Thus, my holder replaces the hand made, jerry built, prior art pacifier holders which usually rely on medical or Scotch R tape to hold the pacifier to a rolled towel as the holder. The use of a rolled towel and tape to hold the pacifier is unsanitary, and the tape may easily pull loose to represent a choking hazard. My device, on the other hand, is not only effective, it is hygienic and will not easily pull apart to form a choking hazard.
In certain embodiments, the pacifier nipple can be actually molded as part of the holder, which is also inexpensive, hygienic and strongly resists pulling apart.
Further, each embodiment of my invention is of a simple construction so that its cost of manufacture is greatly reduced as compared with other patented versions of the prior art.
My invention is manufactured from a non-allergenic, nontoxic, elastomeric material which has a soft texture, and it is flexible, long-wearing, scuff resistant, heat resistant and inexpensive. As such, my invention is also easily cleaned and sanitized by any number of techniques. For example, my invention can be sterilized in hot water, by alcohol, other disinfectants, it can be manually washed with conventional soap and water, or it can be washed with any kitchen or laundry detergent. Moreover, my invention can also be easily cleaned automatically in a dishwasher. Alternatively, my invention can be cleaned in a laundry washing machine. Thus, my invention can be cleaned and sanitized either with the dishes or with the laundry. Finally, some embodiments of my invention can also be cleaned and sterilized in many of the sterilizing machines typically used in hospital environments.
2. Discussion of the Background of the Invention
As pointed out in great detail in my parent application, which is hereby incorporated by reference, for many years the use of pacifiers has been commonplace to soothe restless infants and to satisfy their non-nutritive sucking needs. Pacifiers take several general shapes and constructions. Thus, commercial pacifiers may include different sizes and shapes for the nipple, they may have a multi-part construction, they may be of one-piece construction, they may come with or without a handle, they may have several different types of handles, or they may have different shapes for the annular flange or shield. Pacifiers are also provided with an annular flange or shield to prevent the infant from sucking the nipple too far into his/her mouth.
Whether to use a pacifier has been at times a problem for caregivers. For example, over the years pacifiers were sometimes frowned upon by the medical and dental professions who thought that they may be harmful to the developing infant. In fact, some medical professionals, especially those who are strong advocates of breast feeding, consider pacifiers to be an xe2x80x9cabomination.xe2x80x9d See, Reisser et al. (Reisser), xe2x80x9cCOMPLETE BOOK OF BABY@ CHILD CARE,xe2x80x9d Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Ill., 1997, page 138. Another baby book states: xe2x80x9cSome doctors think that constant use of a pacifier can affect a child""s ability to make sounds and talk.xe2x80x9d This book further states: xe2x80x9cMany doctors recommend orthodontic-type pacifiers to minimize possible tooth-alignment problems in the future.xe2x80x9d See, xe2x80x9cAMERICAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION COMPLETE GUIDE TO YOUR CHILDREN""S HEALTH,xe2x80x9d Traisman et al. (Traisman), Random House, New York, N.Y., 1992, pages 40-41. Other doctors maintain that putting a baby to bed with a pacifier should be minimized. They assert: xe2x80x9cA pacifier may interfere with your child""s ability to develop his or her own self-comforting techniques and the child could wake up when the pacifier falls out of his or her mouth.xe2x80x9d See, Traisman, supra, page 57.
These professionals apparently assume that only nutritive sucking is healthy for the proper perioral and physiological development of infants. Thus, they assert that non-nutritive sucking devices are not only unnecessary, but may even cause problems for the developing infant. However, most of the medical profession, parents and caregivers have now found pacifiers to be invaluable in practice. This is because the non-nutritive sucking needs of an infant have proven to be very important to the developing infant who needs the consistent perioral stimulation and the physiological satisfaction that is provided by a pacifier. Thus, for example, even infants in the womb have been shown by sonograms sucking their thumbs. Moreover, later during teething, infants also benefit from the use of a pacifier because the their sore gums can be soothed by a pacifier. Furthermore, pacifiers provide a more sanitary and satisfactory alternative to thumb sucking, which is usually thought of as an unsanitary, nasty and hard to break habit. Therefore, pacifiers are have proven beneficial in the proper oral development of the infant over an extended portion of the infant""s growth, and are more sanitary as well. Accordingly, the use of pacifiers has expanded in the past several years.
Despite their benefits, for very young infants or medically compromised infants, pacifiers are often difficult to use in practice because, as noted by Traisman, suDra, page 57, they may fall out of the very young or the medically compromised infant""s mouth and are not easily retrieved by the infant. This is because the grasping skills of such infants have not advanced fully. Thus, when such an infant yawns or doses off, the pacifier may fall out of his/her mouth. Once the pacifier falls out of the infant""s mouth, he/she may awaken with a start and become frustrated and fussy until the pacifier is reinserted by the parent or caregiver. Since the time of parents and caregivers may be limited, the constant reinserting of the pacifier into the infant""s mouth has proven to be a difficult problem. Therefore, over the years, there have been several proposed solutions to this problem. Many of these proposed solutions do not appear practical. Nevertheless, some worthwhile solutions have been proposed. The following examples provide several solutions proposed by the prior art.
For example, to simply attach the pacifier with a tether fastened to the infant""s garment or around his/her neck is an impractical solution for very young or medically compromised infants. This is so because, even though the fallen pacifier may remain nearby, these infant""s grasping skills are such that he/she is incapable of finding the pacifier, much less reinserting it into his/her mouth. More importantly, the use of pacifiers tethers around the infant""s neck is frowned upon as a possible threat to the child. See, Reisser, supra, page 138. An example of a tether for attaching a pacifier to the infant""s garment is shown in the U.S. Patent to Huber et al. (Huber), U.S. Pat No. 4,903,698, which issued on Feb. 27, 1990.
Other proposed solutions include holding the pacifier in the infant""s mouth by tying it into his/her mouth with a strap which snugly fits around the head of the infant. An example of such a pacifier holder is found in the U.S. Patent to Beck, Jr. et al. (Beck), U.S. Pat. No. 2,834,350, which issued on May 13, 1958.
Another variation of the strap solution includes elastic straps around each ear of the infant to securely hold the pacifier in his/her mouth. For example, see the U.S. Patent to Hempstead-Harris, U.S. Pat. No. 4,069,894, which issued on Nov. 13, 1990.
What if the infant no longer wants a pacifier which is strapped into the infant""s mouth? He/she cannot just let it fall out of the mouth because the straps prevent this. In Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICU) and in Pediatric Intensive Care Units (PICU), a partial solution to this problem has been found by jerry building by hand a pacifier holder from rolled towels and tape. Such a solution is depicted in Prior Art FIG. 1(A-B) and FIG. 2. In these Figures, the thickness or thinness of the various components, such as the tape holding everything together, may be exaggerated to facilitate their disclosure.
Prior Art FIG. 1(A) is a top view of such a hand made device. Prior Art FIG. 1(B) is an orthogonal side view of such a hand made device wherein the pacifier (4) is shown extending to the right. Prior Art FIG. 2 is an orthogonal front view of such a hand made device wherein the pacifier (4) is shown extending from the top front of the device. This hand made solution is constructed by tightly rolling and taping via tape (6) a towel (7) to form a wand (1). A tightly rolled cloth diaper might be used as an alternative to the towel (7). Near one end of the tightly rolled towel (7), a pacifier (4) without a handle, is attached with either Scotch(copyright) tape or medical tape (23) to hold the annular flange or shield (5) of the pacifier (4) in place. Despite being hand made, such holders have been well-received by medical staffs and therapists because infants and medically compromised children can manipulate the holders themselves. However, these pacifier holders quickly become dirty in use and result in a risk for infection, especially in a hospital setting. Further, the tape (2-3) holding the pacifier to the rolled towel of this type of device can pull loose and present a choking hazard for the infant. Moreover, if the pacifier is not taped near the very top end of the wand, the top edge of the rolled towel may interfere with the breathing of the infant through his/her nose. Of course, when taped near the end of the rolled towel, the tape (2-3) is more easily pulled loose to cause the choking hazard. Accordingly, such problems have prevented a fully endorsed acceptance of these hand made pacifier holders by medical professionals.
There have been other patented devices which perform in a manner comparable to the hand made devices of Prior Art FIGS. 1(A-B) and 2. For example, the U.S. Patent to Ford et al. (Ford), U.S. Pat. No. 5,908,439, issued Jun. 1, 1999, discloses a semi-flexible tube or wand (108) which the infant can grasp. The tube (108) can be hollow and formed of urethane or semi-rigid foam (col. 2, lines 61-65). Alternatively, the tube (108) can be a rolled up diaper (col. 3, lines 41-44). A pacifier (106) is attached at one end of the wand by means of a cloth (100). The pacifier (106) is held at one end of the tube (108) when the cloth (100) is fully wrapped around the tube. A hole (102) is provided at one upper end of the cloth (100), whereby the nipple of the pacifier (106) is allowed to pass through the cloth (100).
To attach Ford""s pacifier to the tube requires several manipulative steps: First, the pacifier (106) is held at one end of the tube. Secondly, the nipple of the pacifier is passed through the hole (102) in the cloth (100). Finally, the cloth (100) is rolled around the tube until the VELCRO(copyright) fasteners (104) mate, thereby holding the whole unit together. Once assembled and in use, the Ford device is quite similar to the hand made devices of Prior Art FIGS. 1(A-B) and FIG. 2. Thus, Ford""s device may become easily dirtied. Ford""s device is also made of a plurality of specialized parts. Moreover, it must be disassembled for cleaning. Once disassembled, one or more of the specialized parts may be lost or misplaced. Further, the assembly of Ford""s device does not appear to be easy. Also, if an adhesive is used to hold the pacifier against the tube during assembly, further specialization of the parts may be required.
Another patented device which operates in a manner similar to the hand made Prior Art of FIGS. 1(A-B) and FIG. 2, is found in the reference to Decker et al. (Decker), U.S. Pat. No. 5,665,336, which issued on Jan. 14, 1997. As best shown in FIG. 6, Decker discloses a soft cylindrical pillow (14). Near its top, a horizontal slot (27) is provided in one side of the pillow. The slot (27) allows the handle of a standard, commercial pacifier (36) to be inserted. The pillow (14) also has an elongated hollow aperture (20) through its center. A device (40) is inserted from the top into the aperture (20), through the circular opening in the pacifier handle to hold the pacifier in place. The device (40) is then frictionally held within the aperture to hold the whole assembly together. Finally, an outer cloth cover (24) is elastically fitted over the whole unit. The cloth cover can be removed for cleaning.
In operation as a pacifier holder for infants, Decker""s device is quite similar to that of Ford""s. Thus, the cloth outer cover might become easily dirtied. Decker""s device is also limited to the use of pacifiers with loop-type handles. However, most hospitals do not use pacifiers with such handles. A pacifier without a loop-type handle would simply fall off Decker""s device. Also like Ford, Decker""s device is made of several specialized parts. Further, the use of a slot in the pillow to insert the handle of the pacifier provides another place where infectious germs may be harbored.
Another example of a wand-type pacifier holder is found in the U.S. Patent to Demeritt et al. (Demeritt), U.S. Pat. No. 5,534,014, which issued on Jul. 9, 1999. Demeritt discloses a pillow pacifier holder formed from a soft foam body (14) with an outer fabric casing (16) which can be washed in a conventional washing machine. The ends of the casing are sewn together over the inner foam member (14). See Col. 3, lines 43-55. A special boss (30) is attached to one side of the pillow where the pacifier is attached. The pacifier has a special end surface glued to it to allow the annular flange or shield of the pacifier to be attached to the pillow. Thus, Demeritt requires a special pacifier, and will not accept pacifiers with handles.
Demeritt is also covered with a cloth fabric which could be easily dirtied. Finally, Demeritt is constructed of several unique parts, especially the special pacifier.
The U.S. Patent to Thomas, U.S. Pat. No. 5,593,336, which issued on Jan. 14, 1997, discloses another wand-type pacifier holder. Rather than a tube-shaped wand as with the other prior art devices above, Thomas discloses a device (10) in which the top portion is bent relative to the bottom portion at an angle indicated by the Greek letter Alpha (xcex1). See FIG. 3. The basic structure (10) is either a soft, light-weight cushion or a foam device. Structure (10) is covered with a cloth shell (14). The pacifier is attached at the top end of the device by loops (20-22), which are sewn to the cloth covering. The annular flange of the pacifier is inserted beneath the loops (20-22), which then hold the pacifier to the holder.
It does not appear that the cloth shell (14) of Thomas can be removed for cleaning. Further, the annular flange or shield of the pacifier might work out from under the loops (20-22) in use, and the infant""s saliva, milk residue or drool could be trapped within and under the loops. It would further appear that only pacifiers without handles would be usable with the Thomas structure.
The final pertinent prior art reference is the U.S. Patent to Kramer, U.S. Pat. No. 4,188,747, which issued on Feb. 19, 1980. Kramer discloses a pacifier holder in the form of a Teddy Bear, but it can take the form of any other similar animal. See, col. 2, lines 21-30. At the end of the Teddy Bear""s nose, a vertical slot or receptacle (15) is provided. The slot (15) receives the round loop handle of a conventional pacifier. The outer edges of the slot are lined with VELCRO(copyright) or other adhesive so that they stick together to hold the pacifier handle within the slot after it is inserted. See col. 2, lines 38-56. An alternative embodiment is disclosed in FIGS. 5 and 6. In this alternative, the slot (15) is somewhat smaller than the diameter of the loop handle of the pacifier so that when the handle is inserted, the slot stretches around the handle to hold the pacifier in place.
Kramer is covered with a plush cloth fabric so that it appears to be easily dirtied. The slot (15) might also be difficult to keep clean. Further, Kramer requires pacifiers that have loop-type handles, not like those normally used in hospitals. Kramer also includes several specialized structures.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for holding many types of pacifiers with a wand-type holder, whereby the non-nutritive perioral and physiological sucking needs of infants and young children are satisfied.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a wand-type apparatus for holding different types of pacifiers, whereby the non-nutritive perioral and physiological sucking needs of very young infants, low weight infants and medically compromised infants are also satisfied.
It is a further object of the present invention wherein the grasping and manipulative motor skills of infants, especially the very young and the medically compromised infants, are enhanced.
It is still further an object of the present invention to provide a flexible wand-type apparatus for holding many types of pacifiers, which takes the form of a extended flexible wand with the pacifier attached near one end of the wand, and wherein the extended portion of the wand can be grasped and manipulated by the infant to enhance the oral-motor skills of the infant.
It is a further object of the present invention wherein the wand-type pacifier holder is formed of a simple construction.
It is a further object of the present invention wherein the wand-type pacifier holder is molded from a non-allergenic, non-toxic, elastomeric material which has a relatively soft texture, but is tough, flexible, long wearing, scuff resistant, heat resistant, easily dyed or colored, easily cleaned, and inexpensive.
It is a further object of the present invention wherein an embodiment of my wand-type pacifier holder includes a tab-flap holder near one end of the wand wherein a portion of the holder fits around the nipple and over the annular flange or shield of a pacifier, and wherein the tab and the flap are locked together when closed to hold the pacifier firmly to the wand.
It is a further object of the present invention wherein an embodiment of my wand-type pacifier holder includes a tab-flap holder near one end of the wand wherein a portion of the holder fits around the nipple and over the annular flange or shield of the pacifier, wherein the tab and the flap are locked together when closed to hold the pacifier firmly to the wand, and wherein the tab and flap are quickly reopened by a caregiver for the removal of a dirty pacifier and the insertion of a fresh, clean pacifier, and which also easily allows the substitution of a different type of pacifier.
It is a further object of the present invention wherein the wand-type pacifier holder is formed of relatively smooth material so that there are few places for harboring dirt or infection.
It is a further object of the present invention wherein the outside surface of the wand-type pacifier holder is formed of relatively smooth molded material so that there are few places for harboring dirt or infection, and wherein the device is easily cleaned and sanitized by a number of convenient methods.
It is a further object of the present invention wherein the wand-type pacifier holder may take the form of an adorable animal figure, such as an otter, which an infant or young child may also use as a toy.
It is a further object of the present invention wherein the wand-type pacifier holder may take the form of an adorable animal figure, such as an otter, which an infant or young child may also use as a toy, and wherein in certain embodiments, the tab and the flap of the pacifier holder may form the forelegs and webbed paws of the otter.
It is a still further object of the present invention wherein the wand-type pacifier holder may take the form of an adorable animal figure such as an otter, which an infant or young child may also use as a toy, and wherein the head of the otter is recessed latterly from the pacifier holder so that it does not interfere with the breathing of the infant through his/her nose.
It is still a further object of the present invention wherein the pacifier holder is adaptable for use with very small infant""s pacifiers and with pacifiers of several different shapes and sizes.
It is still a further object of the present invention wherein the pacifier is molded and permanently formed as part of the holder.